Going once, going twice ... Cranston couple opens auction house

Pam Schiff
Posted 7/30/14

London has Sotheby’s, New York has Christie’s, and now, thanks to residents Melissa and Nick Ricci, Cranston has Dovetail Auctions.

Traditionally, summer is a quieter time for auctions, but …

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Going once, going twice ... Cranston couple opens auction house

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London has Sotheby’s, New York has Christie’s, and now, thanks to residents Melissa and Nick Ricci, Cranston has Dovetail Auctions.

Traditionally, summer is a quieter time for auctions, but the couple has not experienced that yet. Since they held their first auction in February of this year, they haven’t had a chance to catch their breath.

“The majority of our items are brought to us on consignment, so we are constantly getting calls from people that are cleaning out a house, moving or just downsizing,” Melissa said, noting that the phone has not stopped ringing and the emails asking the auctioneers to go look at items are endless.

Neither of the Riccis has a background in antiques, restoration or history. Melissa graduated from Cranston East in 1996 and the University of Rhode Island in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. Nick graduated from Cranston West in 1994 and Rhode Island College in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in art.

Melissa currently teaches music/band in Lincoln, and Nick worked as a graphic designer at BORI (Balloons Over Rhode Island) Graphix from 2002-14 before recently leaving to focus on the auctioning full time.

Together, they have turned an interest in collecting and repairing into their second jobs.

“We have been into antiques since about 2004 when we began repairing 1930s through 1970s pinball machines and then antique phonographs,” said Nick.

It took Melissa about a year to get her auctioneer’s license, including an apprenticeship with Briarbrook Auctions and a course at the Kentucky Auction Academy.

“We offer a few amenities that most auction galleries in the area do not. We are air conditioned, which in this summer is a big factor. We sell locally homemade food. We pick up and do appraisals and repairs,” said Nick.

They also do two different kinds of auctions. There are “Monday morning discovery auctions,” which offer items such as antiques, costume jewelry, power tools, hand tools, hardware, furniture, signs and advertising, Coca-Cola, china, glassware, crystal, paintings, prints, lighting, ephemera and more.

Then there are monthly fine art and antique auctions in which the items up for bid are of higher value and tend to be more collectible. The items for the Aug. 8 sale include etchings by Pablo Picasso and Salvadore Dali, which came out of a Barrington estate.

Some of the other treasures include oil paintings, Asian art, jewelry, a Kennedy fire hydrant, vintage Tiffany-style hanging shades, a marble end table with built-in table lamp, many lighted beer signs, jade trees, a 1940s oak toolbox full of tools, Korean celadon pottery selections, Belleek pottery selections, Noritake dinnerware, 1920s and ’30s art deco floor lamps, tin litho toys, model train tunnels, Edison cylinder records, NOS lantern lenses, books, oriental rugs, Hummel figurines, baseball cards, stamps and more.

One thing Melissa has learned through this experience is to never judge an antique by its package.

“Our biggest surprise yet was that we sold a 1972 SS Kresge Batman action figure sealed in the original box for $3,000 in our April auction,” she said. “We had many out-of-state and in-house bidders on it. We got Batman as a consignment from the family of an avid doll collector who passed away last year. As we worked in the home, we found Batman in the attic among tons of porcelain dolls. We didn’t think that much of him until we started to get a surprising amount of calls about him. Then we did some research and realized what he was worth.”

Staying locally in Cranston has been beneficial when it comes to help. Both of the couple’s families, as well as good friends, have stepped up to assist the growing business however they can.

“My mom, Corrine Pichette, besides giving us her love and support, has the hardest job out of anyone, keeping me calm. My dad, Leo Pichette is a runner, a set-up helper and repairs furniture when needed. Auntie Linda Salvato caters the auctions and is the cashier,” Melissa said. “Nick’s parents, Janet and George Ricci, help in the kitchen and with set up when they are in town. Kim Paplauskas is our recorder. The rest of our runners are Uncle Tommy Salvato, cousin Angie Salvato, Justin Paplauskas, Rob Pine and cousins Madison and Torie Salvato. Grandpa Joe helped get the gallery ready for auction by spearheading building improvements.”

Starting the business in Cranston, where both grew up and have decided to live, was important to the Riccis.

“Not just because our families are here, but we wanted to stay in Cranston and support the community that we grew up in,” they said. “We see old friends and neighbors all the time. Cranston is a great city for us and our business.”

For more information, visit www.dovetailauctions.com.

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